Youth and Training

Robert Richmond is originally from Hastings, England, and studied at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama.

Aquila Theatre Company

Robert spent fourteen years as the Associate Artistic Director of the Aquila Theatre Company in New York and during his tenure there he directed over 50 productions that toured across the US, Off Broadway and Europe.

During Robert’s tenure he played both an artistic and senior managerial role, leading programming, fund raising, union negotiations, and educational training programs. In 2003 Aquila became a flagship for the National Endowment for the Arts Shakespeare In American Communities initiative and performed a command performance at the White House for former president George W. Bush. This was first time Shakespeare had been performed in the White House for over 25 years.

Vision

Robert is known for his mission to reinvigorate theatre with imagination, innovation and relevance. He is passionate about developing theatre into an art form that will sustain and transform the 21st Century, revitalizing audiences, and rewarding them for their patronage.

Currently…

Robert is an Associate Professor at the University of South Carolina and Head of Undergraduate Studies and Performance. He is responsible for developing the curriculum for undergraduate acting/directing/voice and movement courses from introductory to advanced levels.

His duties include mentoring undergraduate students, as well as oversight and programming in the Laboratory Theatre. He serves on the Executive Committee of the department and is the Executive Producer of the Film Production grant in collaboration with the South Carolina Film Commission.

Robert’s freelance directing career continues to take him all over the nation. His production at the Folger Shakespeare Theatre have garnered excellent reviews and several Helen Hayes Awards.

Robert’s combination of academic scholarship and creativity has been recognized by prestigious organizations and he as given lectures and workshops at universities such as NYU, Princeton, Harvard, UCSD, and UCLA.

Future projects will take him back to Folger for Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar in fall 2014. He is currently rehearsing Hamlet with graduate and undergraduate students at USC that will celebrate 450 years since Shakespeare’s birth.